Religion

The play is a satire of organized religion;
that is, Baraka is making fun of organized religion and all those who are
associated with it. The story centers on a boy who enters a church, sorry for
his sins and asking to be forgiven, but Baraka embellishes the tale with
characters behaving in ridiculous ways. Various aspects of organized religion
are lampooned in a way that launches questions about the validity of religious
belief.

The typical hierarchy of religion is
challenged in the play, for example. The Minister, who represents church
leadership, has his position reduced when the chorus of Women announces that
the Boy is Christ or Jesus. The Minister drops to his knees, kissing the Boy's
feet and praising him. As soon as the Boy admits that he lied about being
Christ, the Minister turns on him and says, "May the true God strike you
dead...